Method of providing interactive usage descriptions based on source code analysis

• US 9,134,967 B1
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, HANH THI MINH
• Application Number:
  US13/283,099
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/33 Intelligent editors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/427 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/436 Semantic checking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/437 Type checking

Abstract

A method of dynamically analyzing source code for generating usage hints while editing the source code is disclosed. A parse tree data structure is generated for each function called. The incoming and outgoing arguments in the parse tree are identified. A user calls the function by entering arguments as part of the function-call. The user'"'"'s input arguments are associated with the corresponding argument in the parse tree. Relevant preconditions and post-conditions of the nodes surrounding the current location in the parse tree are analyzed to provide usage hints for the completion of the function call. In the case of a completed function call argument entered by the user, the type and number of arguments in the completed function call are compared to the required type and number of arguments of the function to validate the function call. Error messages are provided in the event of an invalid call.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating, by a processor, a parse tree data structure for a function written in a computer programming language,

the function specifying;

one or more input arguments,

one or more output arguments, and

one or more operations,

the parse tree data structure including nodes, at least some of the nodes of the parse tree data structure corresponding to;

the one or more input arguments,

the one or more output arguments, and

the one or more operations of the function,

where the creating the parse tree data structure includes assigning one or more conditions to a first node of the parse tree data structure;

storing the parse tree data structure in a memory coupled to the processor;

identifying, within a program being created, a call to the function;

mapping portions of the call to the function to one or more of the nodes of the parse tree data structure;

analyzing, by the processor, the parse tree data structure with the portions of the call to the function mapped to the one or more of the nodes of the parse tree data structure, where the analyzing includes

performing a tree walk of the parse tree data structure, and

utilizing information from the function call of the program being created to evaluate the one or more conditions assigned to the first node of the parse tree data structure;

producing, by the processor, based on the analyzing;

a usage hint for completing the call to the function, or

a validation message of the call to the function; and

presenting, by the processor, the usage hint or the validation message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the usage hint is determined when the call to the function is only partially completed.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the usage hint is at least one of:

a suggestion regarding the one or more input arguments of the function;

or

a suggestion regarding the one or more output arguments of the function.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the validation message is identified when the call to the function is complete.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining the usage hint or the validation message based on a result of the evaluation of the one or more conditions assigned to the first node of the parse tree data structure.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the information from the function call includes:

an input argument attribute, or

an output argument attribute.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the call to the function includes a first input argument, the mapping includes:

identifying a given node of the parse tree data structure where the given node corresponds to the first input argument of the call to the function; and

mapping the first input argument to the given node of the parse tree data structure.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the call to the function includes a first output argument, the mapping includes:

identifying a given node of the parse tree data structure where the given node corresponds to the first output argument of the call to the function; and

mapping the first output argument to the given node of the parse tree data structure.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the program being created is written in the computer programming language.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the creating the parse tree data structure for the function includes:

assigning to a second node of the parse tree data structure a first condition that is known to be true upon entering the second node of the parse tree data structure while performing the treewalk; and

assigning to a third node of the parse tree data structure a second condition that is known to be true upon exiting the third node of the parse tree data structure while performing the treewalk.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

simplifying the parse tree data structure based on an attribute of the function call, the simplifying including;

eliminating a portion of the parse tree data structure from the analyzing, when the attribute of the function call results in a given condition associated with the portion of the parse tree data structure always being true or false.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one condition is

a forward precondition,

a postcondition, or

a precondition.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for execution by a processor, the program instructions instructing the processor to:

create a parse tree data structure for a function written in a computer programming language,

the function specifying;

one or more input arguments,

one or more output arguments, and

one or more operations,

the parse tree data structure including nodes, at least some of the nodes of the parse tree data structure corresponding to;

the one or more input arguments,

the one or more output arguments, and

the one or more operations of the function,

where the instructions to create the parse tree data structure include instructions to assign one or more conditions to a first node of the parse tree data structure;

store the parse tree data structure in a memory coupled to the processor;

identify, within a program being created, a call to the function;

map portions of the call to the function to one or more of the nodes of the parse tree data structure;

analyze the parse tree data structure with the portions of the call to the function mapped to the one or more of the nodes of the parse tree data structure, where the analyzing includes

performing a tree walk of the parse tree data structure, and

utilizing information from the function call of the program being created to evaluate the one or more conditions assigned to the first node of the parse tree data structure;

produce based on the analyzing;

a usage hint for completing the call to the function, or

a validation message of the call to the function; and

present the usage hint or the validation message.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the usage hint is determined when the call to the function is only partially completed.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the usage hint is at least one of:

a suggestion regarding the one or more input arguments of the function;

or

a suggestion regarding the one or more output arguments of the function.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the validation message is identified when the call to the function is complete.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 further comprising instructions to:

determine the usage hint or the validation message based on a result of the evaluation of the one or more conditions assigned to the first node of the parse tree data structure.

18. The computer-readable medium claim 17 wherein the information from the function call includes:

an input argument attribute, or

an output argument attribute.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the call to the function includes a first input argument, the instructions to map include instructions to:

identify a given node of the parse tree data structure where the given node corresponds to the first input argument of the call to the function; and

map the first input argument to the given node of the parse tree data structure.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the call to the function includes a first output argument, the instructions to map include instructions to:

identify a given node of the parse tree data structure where the given node corresponds to the first output argument of the call to the function; and

map the first output argument to the given node of the parse tree data structure.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the program being created is written in the computer programming language.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 where the instructions to create the parse tree data structure for the function include instructions to:

assign to a second node of the parse tree data structure a first condition that is known to be true upon entering the second node of the parse tree data structure while performing the treewalk; and

assign to a third node of the parse tree data structure a second condition that is known to be true upon exiting the third node of the parse tree data structure while performing the treewalk.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 further comprising instructions to:

simplify the parse tree data structure based on an attribute of the function call, the instructions to simplify including instructions to;

eliminate a portion of the parse tree data structure from the analyzing, when the attribute of the function call results in a given condition associated with the portion of the parse tree data structure always being true or false.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the one or more conditions is

a forward precondition,

a postcondition, or

a precondition.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a memory storing a parse tree data structure for a function written in a computer programming language,

the function specifying;

one or more input arguments,

one or more output arguments, and

one or more operations,

the parse tree data structure including nodes, at least some of the nodes of the parse tree data structure corresponding to;

the one or more input arguments,

the one or more output arguments, and

the one or more operations of the function,

where one or more conditions are assigned to a first node of the parse tree data structure; and

a processor configured to

identify a call to the function,

map portions of the call to the function to one or more of the nodes of the parse tree data structure,

analyze the parse tree data structure with the portions of the call to the function mapped to the one or more of the nodes of the parse tree data structure, the analyze including

performing a tree walk, and

utilizing information from the function call to evaluate the one or more conditions assigned to the first node of the parse tree data structure, based on the analyze, produce;

a usage hint for completing the call to the function, or

a validation message of the call to the function; and

present the usage hint or the validation message.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the usage hint is determined when the call to the function is only partially completed.

27. The apparatus claim 26 wherein the usage hint is at least one of:

a suggestion regarding the one or more input arguments of the function;

or

a suggestion regarding the one or more output arguments of the function.

28. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the validation message is identified when the call to the function is complete.

29. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the usage hint or the validation message based on a result of the evaluation of the one or more conditions assigned to the first node of the parse tree data structure.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the information from the function call includes:

an input argument attribute, or

an output argument attribute.

31. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the call to the function includes a first input argument, the mapping includes:

identifying a given node of the parse tree data structure where the given node corresponds to the first input argument of the call to the function; and

mapping the first input argument to the given node of the parse tree data structure.

32. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the call to the function includes a first output argument, the mapping includes:

identifying a given node of the parse tree data structure where the given node corresponds to the first output argument of the call to the function; and

mapping the first output argument to the given node of the parse tree data structure.

33. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the call to the function is identified in a computer program written in the computer programming language.

34. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the parse tree data structure includes:

a first condition assigned to a second node where the first condition is known to be true upon entering the second node of the parse tree data structure while performing the treewalk; and

a second condition assigned to a third node where the second condition is known to be true upon exiting the third node of the parse tree data structure while performing the treewalk.

35. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the processor is further configured to:

simplify the parse tree data structure based on an attribute of the function call, the simplify including;

eliminating a portion of the parse tree data structure from the analyzing, when the attribute of the function call results in a given condition associated with the portion of the parse tree data structure always being true or false.

36. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the one or more conditions is

a forward precondition,

a postcondition, or

a precondition.